Shaa Wasmund, who set up Smarta.com, a small business advisory service, in 2009, addressed hundreds of delegates at Celtic Manor in the last keynote speech of the three day event today (Weds 8 Oct).
She took attendees through her personal story, revealing how her family was destitute and living in a hostel for homeless families when she was a teenager. They shared the kitchen with five families. She said she was unable to tell anyone where she lived "for fear of ridicule or humiliation".
Her family had switched between the USA and the UK in her childhood meaning she had "a stupid American accent".
She said she was constantly afraid and "that's where I think I learnt the most important lesson to achieve the things I have managed to achieve."
Her mother told her "don't be afraid to take risks, don't live your life by other people's imitations."
She said she could've ended up in a menial job, on a council estate or a drug addict like her father.
But she was lucky enough to go to university and explained how taking a chance to get an interview with boxer Chris Eubank transformed her life as a 20-year-old student.
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Having won a competition to write at Cosmopolitan magazine she proposed doing the interview and went to meet the boxer.
To her surprise after they talked he offered her a job on the spot. The next day she was being asked to organize the biggest boxing match ever in the country's history, and meeting Manchester United chairman Martin Edwards, whose Old Trafford stadium would stage the fight.
She said this changed the course of her entire life and was "a pivotal moment". Despite having no knowledge or experience of promotions she suppressed her fears and took on the role.
The boxer was an "awesome human being" who gave her "more opportunities than I ever deserved" she said.
As well as Mr Eubank, who she still counts as a good friend today, she worked with vacuum cleaner entrepreneur James Dyson, who she met before he became a successful inventor and businessman. She said she has learnt an enormous amount over her career.
She said: "I have made an awful lot of mistakes. Pretty much 90% of what we've learnt about being proactive and successful is wrong.
"I realise now how much I could have achieved if I had actually done less.
"The way you get more clients, profitability time with your family, wealth, happiness is very simple. It's by doing less.
"We are happiest when our lives are simplest. It's not about scaling down; simple doesn't mean we want to be poor. It's just we don't want to overcomplicate.
"You may be thinking 'she's insane, there's no way I can achieve more by doing less'.
"You can though and it's not complicated. We are stuck in the busy trap, feeling like we are not giving great customer service if we don't answer in 2 minutes. Being busy doesn't make you productive.
"Every time you are distracted by something or just go and do something else it takes on average 11 minutes to get your focus back. Most of us are guilty of this."
She encouraged delegates to think about saying 'no' more often to not get overwhelmed with too many tasks and to realise that by not replying to messages immediately the world will not end.
She also stressed the importance of not being attached to your phone constantly and the importance of relaxation time.
Ms Wasmund asked delegates to consider what gives them the most fulfillment in their lives and assess whether all the tasks they do are essential. She said everyone needs to learn to either 'do it, delegate it or ditch it'.